Members of St. Thomas women’s tennis team retain Title IX attorney

Members of the varsity women’s tennis team at the University of St. Thomas have retained attorney Arthur Bryant, who specializes in Title IX litigation.

The update comes as the university announced it will cut its men’s and women’s varsity tennis programs at the end of the academic year.

St. Thomas to cut varsity tennis programs

In a letter to the university’s president, Bryant states he has been retained by members of the team "to prevent their team’s elimination and, if necessary, pursue a class action lawsuit against the University of St. Thomas."

"The elimination of the women’s tennis team blatantly violates Title IX," Bryant goes on to write, adding that the university would need to add "148 participation opportunities for women to achieve gender equity" in terms of male and female athletics participation at the university.

Bryant requested a response from the university’s president this week.

St. Thomas officials previously stated they determined the university was "unable to adequately provide the conditions necessary" for the tennis programs to compete at the Division I level, including not having dedicated facilities on or off campus for the programs.